The 2018 FASEB Summer Research Conference, The Lung Epithelium in Health and Disease, is the 10th biannual conference in this area, bringing together developmental, cell and molecular biologists, geneticists, physiologists, clinicians and translational researchers with a primary interest in lung epithelial biology. Selected topics are at the forefront of the lung search and the program is planned to disseminate new findings with translational potential. Topics include (1) molecular mechanisms of lung epithelial development and repair/regeneration, (2) common and unique pathways of intra- epithelial communications in lung physiology and diseases, (3) interactions between lung epithelium and innate and adaptive immune cells (4) cutting-edge genomic and gene expression analysis in epithelial-based lung diseases. In addition to the unique collection of research topics, this meeting provides a platform for new speakers, early stage investigators, and trainees. Twenty-two of 33 speakers (67%) have not spoken at this conference in the last four years, and thirteen of the 33 speakers (40%) are women, as well as half of the session chairs. Sixteen short-talk sessions are designated for trainees or new investigators. Specific efforts are being made to encourage participation by underrepresent minorities in the field. In addition to talks, there are 4 poster sessions and 4 ?Meet-the-Experts? sessions to facilitate scientific and social interactions between all participants. By bringing the best of the lung epithelium research community together, the overall goal of this conference is to push the field forward towards innovative directions for basic research and novel therapeutics for important lung diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.